Bank of America (NYSE:BAC)Historical Stock Chart

1 Year : From Mar 2017 to Mar 2018

By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch , Ryan Vlastelica

BlackRock reports, Netflix earnings ahead for Monday

U.S. stock-index futures pointed to a flat open on Monday, with major indexes indicated to trade near record levels, though more pronounced market direction may have to wait until investors begin receiving more details on corporate earnings.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 2 points, or less than 0.1%, at 21,597, while S&P 500 futures inched down 0.4 point to 2,455.75. Nasdaq-100 futures rose 2.5 points to 5,845.50.

Need to know:Investors should pay attention to this 'chart of the week, month and potentially year' (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-should-pay-attention-to-the-chart-of-the-week-month-and-potentially-year-2017-07-17)

On Friday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-industrials-set-to-hover-at-record-as-jp-morgan-citi-set-to-report-2017-07-14), U.S. stocks scored fresh records, with the Dow closing up 0.4%, while the S&P gained 0.5% and nabbed its first record close since June 19. The Nasdaq Composite Index closed just shy of a record, as it rose 0.6%.

Whether stocks can extend further into record territory hinges partly on how a big week of earnings pans out, with investors looking for signs that valuations are justified by the strength of corporate results, particularly given an uncertain political environment in Washington. Some 68 S&P 500 companies will report this week, according to FactSet. Those include Bank of America Corp.(BAC), Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(GS), Microsoft Corp.(MSFT) and General Electric Co.(GE).

What will give stocks a push higher: While earnings are important, tax legislation remains the most important political issue for U.S. stocks, said Michael J. Wilson, equity strategist at Morgan Stanley, in a note to clients on Monday.

He said equity multiples must expand again for the S&P 500 to reach their 2017 target of 2,700, but the catalyst on that expansion would likely be "more policy 'certainty' rather than the outcome itself.

"No matter what gets passed in the next few months, we think just moving forward with a decision on the Affordable Care Act and taxes will provide the certainty necessary for companies and individuals to "act" on their higher confidence readings which have remained elevated," said Wilson.

The latest economic data was cautious, with the New York Fed's Empire State manufacturing index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/empire-state-manufacturing-index-retreats-in-july-from-two-year-high-2017-07-17)falling to a seasonally adjusted reading of 9.8 from 19.8 in June. Analysts were looking for a reading of 15.

Stocks to watch: Investment manager BlackRock Inc.(BLK) slipped 0.8% ahead of the open after reporting a profit and sales miss (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/blackrocks-stock-set-to-slip-after-profit-sales-miss-2017-07-17), despite massive inflows into its low-fee exchange-traded funds. Streaming giant Netflix Inc.(NFLX) is due after the close. Read a Netflix preview here (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/netflix-earnings-subscriber-additions-is-key-along-with-content-spend-2017-07-12).

Read:Four key sectors to watch closely this earnings season (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/four-key-sectors-to-watch-closely-this-earnings-season-2017-07-13)

Other markets: In China, the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 1.4% (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-stocks-sink-after-central-banks-liquidity-injection-2017-07-16), but off earlier lows as data showed expansion in the world's second-biggest economy beat forecasts with 6.9% second-quarter growth (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-economy-beats-outlook-grows-69-in-q2-2017-07-16). Helping to spark the selling, Chinese officials at a financial conference hinted at tighter controls on the economy.

Opinion:China is playing a weak hand with the U.S (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-is-playing-a-weak-hand-with-the-us-2017-07-17).